Mom of 3 Celebrates Family’s New Home Years After Husband’s Death. Why She Has Him to Thank (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

The Warren family, who is the first family featured on the revival of ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’.Photo:Disney/Ryan Green

Disney/Ryan Green

Extreme Makeover: Home Editionis back with what promises to be an emotional premiere.

The popular home renovation show from the 2000s makes its return to television on Thursday, Jan. 2, as the series shifts away from the flashy homes to more practical and affordable abodes.

Gail, who turned 50 in December, tells PEOPLE she began her application for the show just two hours before the deadline, and submitted it with just moments to spare.

Several people had previously encouraged her to apply, but something “spoke” to Gail the night of the deadline. It was Fred.

“It was as if my husband was like, ‘I need you to apply, I need you to apply, I need you to apply.’ It was just a strong push,” Gail recalls.

Gail Warren, the widow of Rev. Fred Warren, who inspired her to apply for the show.Disney/Ryan Green

Fred, a veteran and beloved pastor, died in 2021 after battling COVID, according to his widow. Gail described her late husband as a “one of a kind person” who “cared about everyone” he came across.

“He just had a way of working with people from the church level,” Gail recalls. “Everywhere, everything that he touched, everything that he did, it was in some form of fashion of how to help someone.”

After Fred’s death, Gail and the couple’s three children — Taylin, 9, Lathan, 12 and Zoe, 11 — all lived in a home with the kids’ grandmother, Lily Crutchfield, which was far too small.

Now, the family is all prospering in Austin, where their home was built in Sept. 2023.

“They have changed my life, because I was drowning afnd I didn’t realize how much until after coming here,” Gail tells PEOPLE. “Fred, in his own special way, was pushing me to apply, but I didn’t realize the magnitude of what was going to happen in my life.”

The Warren family, who is featured on the first episode of the ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ revival on ABC.Disney/Ryan Green

The show brought on home construction company Taylor Morrison as the official home builder for the season, who helped ensure the homes being built were both affordable and manageable for families.

This was especially important to Taylor Morrison CEO Sheryl Palmer.

“We just wanted to make sure that these families were going to be fine,” Palmer explains. The goal, she says, is to give families an opportunity to “live in these communities for a long, long time without the worries [or] the financial worries that would generally go along with it.”

Palmer adds, “As wonderful as the experience was, I don’t think we could have lived with putting somebody in a home that we knew [was unaffordable or unmanageable].”

Builders work on a home for the Warren family, the first clan featured on the revival of ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’.Disney/Ryan Green

Additionally, the company helped ensure families were on solid ground from a tax standpoint, as well. Each family received a lump sum of money after the show that the homebuilder and developer knew would assist them with the transition.

“This is a whole different level of a gift that we were able to provide these families,” says Palmer, who is “proud” of what Taylor Morrison has accomplished on this season ofExtreme Makeover: Home Edition.

“We’ve always called ourselves the builder with a heart,” the CEO adds.

Sheryl Palmer, left, and Gail Warren, connect on the latest version of ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’.Disney/Ryan Green

For the last year, Gail and her family have been happily living in their new home. The mom of three says she has been “doing well with maintaining” the home so far, since it was built with affordability in mind.

Gail also tells PEOPLE it is “amazing” to see Fred’s legacy living on.

“It’s an amazing moment just to see that even some of his dreams are still coming through, but being blessed upon his children and the family,” Gail says. “It’s definitely very special.”

Extreme Makeover: Home Editionpremieres on Jan. 2, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, and streams the next day on Hulu.

source: people.com